Driven by a passion for building a strong community around investment and finance, Riddhi Agrawal is leading the charge to support students to build confidence and develop skills in trading.
The Bayes Trading Society is one of 16 student-led business clubs at Bayes Business School. It gives students hands-on experience in trading, opportunities to network, and access to industry experts.
Riddhi’s goal in her role as Co-President is to create a welcoming space for aspiring traders and build a community for students who shared an interest in finance to collaborate and share ideas.
"Becoming one of the youngest Presidents of the Trading Society was exciting but also a bit daunting. I was working alongside committee members with more experience, and I wasn’t sure how I’d fit in. But they were really supportive, and I soon settled into the role."
Bringing trading to life on campus
To make trading more engaging for society members, Riddhi played a key role in organising the society’s first in-person trading simulation in partnership with Amplify Me. More than 120 students took part in a real-time stock market challenge.
"I remember the whole room being full of students, all glued to their laptops. Then, when it was time to buy and sell stocks, suddenly everyone was talking at once, negotiating, making deals. It felt like a real trading floor."
The event helped students practice key financial skills, including market analysis, risk management, and making decisions under pressure.
"The competition gave students an official ranking and helped them understand their strengths. It showed them what they were good at and what they could improve, which was really valuable."
"Most of the crowd was first-year students, and I think being an undergraduate, I brought a different audience with me, which wasn’t something I had expected.
Through mentoring sessions and coffee chats Riddhi has helped first-year students feel welcome in the Trading Society.
"The society means a lot to me because I love talking to people, and trading is one of my favourite topics. It’s the best combination, getting to discuss markets and share ideas while building a community."
As Co-President, she has helped grow the society by collaborating with trading firms and launching a market report initiative, giving students experience in tracking market trends.
Becoming a confident leader and thriving at City St George’s
As a Course Representative, Riddhi actively advocated for students, raising their concerns and working to improve the student experience at Bayes Business School. Her commitment to student voices was recognised when she was named runner-up for Best Course Representative.
Alongside her studies, she pursued further professional development, becoming the youngest person to sit the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) exam, a globally respected qualification for financial analysts.
"City St George’s has really supported me. They even covered my CMT exam fees, which gave me the opportunity to take it on earlier than I expected."
Advice for new students
Now, as she looks to the future, Riddhi hopes to continue helping students find their way in finance.
"In my first year, I felt overwhelmed trying to balance everything, but my professor, Dr Malvina Marchese, reassured me I would find my rhythm, and she was right."
She quickly realised that new opportunities were everywhere.
“Coming to City St George’s as an international student from India, I had to step out of my comfort zone. The best thing I have learned here is that if you take that first step, opportunities open up. It doesn’t matter where you come from. What matters is what you do with the opportunities in front of you."